Judg 8:34, Thus the sons of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side…
Once more we find ourselves set into the course of what it means that the sons of Israel did not remember the Lord their God. After all the ways in which God had saved this nation, from its inception through the promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the release of the people from slavery to Egypt, the ever miraculous leading and provision in the wilderness, to the conquering of the Promised Land, and the salvation with each successive judge time and time and time again after the people had rejected the Lord, He, Jehovah, Yahweh, The Lord God was still forgotten. The people would turn away from their devotion to Him and would rather seek after the ways of the nations surrounding them. This pattern will progress as we forge forward in this book of Judges, to the point of our utter conclusion that they deserved the judgment of God, rather than His grace. 
However, if we take that stand, then we are choosing to judge ourselves with the same measure of anger and frustration and disbelief. We each are represented in this people. Their faithlessness is our faithlessness. Their idolatry is our idolatry. Their spiritual adultery is our adultery against the pure and perfect Husband of our salvation. We dare never cast aspersions and vitriolic proclamations and disavowals against this Chosen People. We paint ourselves with the same brush highlighting the same dismal and disdainful hue of disgrace and dishonor as is declared by the Apostle Paul in Rom 2:1-16.
Please stand as we read the Word of the Lord together. Rom 2:1-16, Therefore you are without excuse, every man of you who passes judgment, for in that you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. And do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment upon those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to every man who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God. For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law; and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; for not the hearers of the Law are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus. 
Thus reads the Holy and Just and Awesome Word of God. You may be seated.
As much as we can be disgusted by the horrible actions and behavior detailed in the accounts listed before us in the history of the nation of Israel, we need to keep at the forefront of our hearts and minds that except for the grace of God, so are we in this realm. When we look back on the brief course of our lives, we will find, that apart from the goodness and the grace and the mercy and the love and the divine intervention of God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the view will be the mirror image of these chosen people of God, both old and new. 
We often, despite our best intentions, forget about God when things are going well. We dismiss the need for prayer and for fellowship and for scripture as our feelings of self worth and self importance bloom forth from the ashes of our trials and tribulation. It may have been the Lord Who saved our sorry souls from hell, but we think that we are the ones making a way for ourselves in this life. That is until we find ourselves surrounded by all the terrors of this age as it is arrayed against us. Our idols of money and fame and self-indulgence serve to only evidence the horror of how much we have set our self-made gods in high places before the Lord in our lives! All these false hopes and idols vanish in the face of adversity, while The Lord God Almighty proves Himself gloriously victorious in the every battle of our lives.
 We turn to the Prophet Jeremiah, in reading the second Chapter of that book. In it we find the outline of the course of the People of God that completely parallels even our lives from the time of our birth unto today.
Jer 2, Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, "Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, 'Thus says the Lord, "I remember concerning you the devotion of your youth, The love of your betrothals, Your following after Me in the wilderness, Through a land not sown. "Israel was holy to the Lord, The first of His harvest; All who ate of it became guilty; Evil came upon them," declares the Lord.'" Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. Thus says the Lord, "What injustice did your fathers find in Me, That they went far from Me And walked after emptiness and became empty? "And they did not say, 'Where is the Lord Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, Who led us through the wilderness, Through a land of deserts and of pits, Through a land of drought and of deep darkness, Through a land that no one crossed And where no man dwelt?' "And I brought you into the fruitful land, To eat its fruit and its good things. But you came and defiled My land, And My inheritance you made an abomination. "The priests did not say, 'Where is the Lord?' And those who handle the law did not know Me; The rulers also transgressed against Me, And the prophets prophesied by Baal And walked after things that did not profit. "Therefore I will yet contend with you," declares the Lord, "And with your sons' sons I will contend. "For cross to the coastlands of Kittim and see, And send to Kedar and observe closely, And see if there has been such a thing as this! "Has a nation changed gods, When they were not gods? But My people have changed their glory For that which does not profit. "Be appalled, O heavens, at this, And shudder, be very desolate," declares the Lord. "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns, That can hold no water. "Is Israel a slave? Or is he a homeborn servant? Why has he become a prey? "The young lions have roared at him, They have roared loudly. And they have made his land a waste; His cities have been destroyed, without inhabitant. "Also the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes Have shaved the crown of your head. "Have you not done this to yourself, By your forsaking the Lord your God, When He led you in the way? "But now what are you doing on the road to Egypt, To drink the waters of the Nile? Or what are you doing on the road to Assyria, To drink the waters of the Euphrates? "Your own wickedness will correct you, And your apostasies will reprove you; Know therefore and see that it is evil and bitter For you to forsake the Lord your God, And the dread of Me is not in you," declares the Lord God of hosts. "For long ago I broke your yoke And tore off your bonds; But you said, 'I will not serve!' For on every high hill And under every green tree You have lain down as a harlot. "Yet I planted you a choice vine, A completely faithful seed. How then have you turned yourself before Me Into the degenerate shoots of a foreign vine? "Although you wash yourself with lye And use much soap, The stain of your iniquity is before Me," declares the Lord God. "How can you say, 'I am not defiled, I have not gone after the Baals'? Look at your way in the valley! Know what you have done! You are a swift young camel entangling her ways, A wild donkey accustomed to the wilderness, That sniffs the wind in her passion. In the time of her heat who can turn her away? All who seek her will not become weary; In her month they will find her. "Keep your feet from being unshod And your throat from thirst; But you said, 'It is hopeless! No! For I have loved strangers, And after them I will walk.' "As the thief is shamed when he is discovered, So the house of Israel is shamed; They, their kings, their princes, And their priests, and their prophets, Who say to a tree, 'You are my father,' And to a stone, 'You gave me birth.' For they have turned their back to Me, And not their face; But in the time of their trouble they will say, 'Arise and save us.' "But where are your gods Which you made for yourself? Let them arise, if they can save you In the time of your trouble; For according to the number of your cities Are your gods, O Judah. "Why do you contend with Me? You have all transgressed against Me," declares the Lord. "In vain I have struck your sons; They accepted no chastening. Your sword has devoured your prophets Like a destroying lion. "O generation, heed the word of the Lord. Have I been a wilderness to Israel, Or a land of thick darkness? Why do My people say, 'We are free to roam; We will come no more to Thee'? "Can a virgin forget her ornaments, Or a bride her attire? Yet My people have forgotten Me Days without number. "How well you prepare your way To seek love! Therefore even the wicked women You have taught your ways. "Also on your skirts is found The lifeblood of the innocent poor; You did not find them breaking in. But in spite of all these things, Yet you said, 'I am innocent; Surely His anger is turned away from me.' Behold, I will enter into judgment with you Because you say,' I have not sinned.' "Why do you go around so much Changing your way? Also, you shall be put to shame by Egypt As you were put to shame by Assyria. "From this place also you shall go out With your hands on your head; For the Lord has rejected those in whom you trust, And you shall not prosper with them."
    	This is such a mourning lament outlining such dissolutely despicable behaviors and attitudes and idolatry against the Lord by a people whom Yahweh chose to honor with the very presence of Himself, Jehovah, the Lord God Almighty, the Creator of Heaven and earth! And this is the lament that falls upon our heads as we seek after the ways of this world, even when we know the real and only answer is to be found in the Lord Jesus Christ! While our mouths voice hollow reverence toward the Only True Living God, our demeanor, our disregard for His Holiness, our attitudes of self-made importance and absolute disregard for needs of others betray the true motivation of our inner depths. 
We crave the safety of our salvation in Jesus Christ while still fully and lustfully partaking of the temptations and the paltry refuse of this defiled and corrupt age. We put our trust in our idols made by the elevation of our self-interests and set in the lies of our social fabric. We defiantly think that we will be saved from all the surrounding forces of our darkest nightmares while all the time we are turning our hearts against the humility and the contrition that should have us on our knees before the Sovereignty of the Omnipotent and Omniscient Lord God Almighty! 
The voice of the Lord through the Prophet Jeremiah is further set against the actions of our lives as detailed in Jer 23:23-29. God is not fooled by the escapades that we try to put before Him. He sees into the very depth and essence of our beings. He knows exactly and precisely who we are and what we are trying to put forth in our despicable behavior. He knows us, and yet He still loves us and works to bring us to the place that we will see the complete folly and futility of our vile actions and divisive and derisive thoughts.
Jer 23:23-29, "Am I a God who is near," declares the Lord, "And not a God far off? "Can a man hide himself in hiding places, So I do not see him?" declares the Lord. "Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?" declares the Lord. "I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy falsely in My name, saying, 'I had a dream, I had a dream!' "How long? Is there anything in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy falsehood, even these prophets of the deception of their own heart, who intend to make My people forget My name by their dreams which they relate to one another, just as their fathers forgot My name because of Baal? "The prophet who has a dream may relate his dream, but let him who has My word speak My word in truth. What does straw have in common with grain?" declares the Lord. "Is not My word like fire?" declares the Lord, "and like a hammer which shatters a rock? 
The entire fabric of our time together these past sessions with this morning’s passage rests upon the grace and the mercy and the forgiveness and the faithfulness and the love of God despite the actions and the defilement of us, His people. God looks upon us and He sees us as we are!
This is so expressed by the Psalmist in Ps 69:5-7, if you would turn to it. Despite our folly, He works to make our lives, through the majestic and undeserved ministry of the Holy Spirit, those living witnesses of all His beauty and His glory for His Own Name’s sake. 
Ps 69:5-7, O God, it is Thou who dost know my folly, And my wrongs are not hidden from Thee. May those who wait for Thee not be ashamed through me, O Lord God of hosts; May those who seek Thee not be dishonored through me, O God of Israel, Because for Thy sake I have borne reproach; Dishonor has covered my face. 
And the Psalmist, in Ps 139:1-16, concludes our time this morning in this matter of how we tend to forget God. The Lord proves Himself glorious above and beyond any measure of our faithlessness with all the immeasurable power and grace and awesomeness of His eternal essence of Being! 
Ps 139:1-16, O Lord, Thou hast searched me and known me. Thou dost know when I sit down and when I rise up; Thou dost understand my thought from afar. Thou dost scrutinize my path and my lying down, And art intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, Thou dost know it all. Thou hast enclosed me behind and before, And laid Thy hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it. Where can I go from Thy Spirit? Or where can I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend to heaven, Thou art there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Thy hand will lead me, And Thy right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night," Even the darkness is not dark to Thee, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to Thee. For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Thy works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from Thee, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Thy book they were all written, The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. 
It is only by the grace and mercy and lovingkindness of God that we are even gathered together here today as His redeemed people. We must ever ask Him to keep our hearts and our minds resolutely set upon knowing Him more and more as each day progresses! We must ever encourage ourselves in the truth that this relationship, as the very Children of God in Jesus Christ, is not just for our salvation! It is for our being brought into fellowship, a living and vibrant relationship by the indwelling Holy Spirit, into the very presence and an eternal joy of complete reliance and dependence and companionship with Our Creator, Our Savior, Our Lord, Our God! So be it!
Thus the sons of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side… Amen.

This morning’s benediction is Prov 19:21. Many are the plans in a man's heart, But the counsel of the Lord, it will stand. Amen.